Parties without some good puff pastry, would be left incomplete. The layers of butter, and yet its lightness and good looks, are something one can hardly resist. The arduous task to make these leave it to be a rare visibility at home too often. Creating the dough, the folding and rolling of it all can be tedious and time consuming too.
Frozen puff pastry comes as a rescue to all these problems. These amazing pastries, can be seasoned, garnished and decorated with a variety of ingredients and be served as a main course or dessert. Palmier, cheese straws, turnovers, pot pies, pizzas, and tarts are always easy to make when these are kept handy. Frozen puff pastry is especially great for house parties, as most recipes can be assembled and baked just before the party starts.
Be a Savvy Shopper
There are three main brands of puff pastry: Dufour and Trader Joe’s make all-butter pastry, while Pepperidge Farm’s version contains vegetable shortening. Some cooks prefer the flavor of all-butter pastry, and think the shortening leaves an unpleasant aftertaste.
Packages vary in weight, but most are in the 1-pound range and contain either one or two sheets of pastry. The recipe you choose will help you pick the amount you need, but a general rule of thumb is that one sheet will make a sweet or savory tart to serve four to six, or about eight to ten people. If your package has one large sheet and your recipe uses only a single sheet, cut the sheet into half, crosswise and roll it out to the desired thickness; wrap tightly and freeze. Leftovers can always be used later.
Phyllo dough and puff pastry are packaged and stored in a similar freezer. They might even look alike. When you head out to shop, ensure to buy puff pastry. Although the dough might work just as well, the sheets of the dough are rather thin and more delicate. The shape of the puff pastry would be lost if you use the phyllo dough, and hence puff pastry would be a better buy.
Prep Your Pastry
Before you use anything from the freezer, you must always let it thaw and since puff pastry comes in sheets that are folded, you must let it thaw completely. Preferably overnight in the fridge, or for an hour at room temperature before use. Unfold it very carefully, do not let it tear, add a little water if required, to squeeze it back in shape.
A good savory puff pastry would use grated cheese. Cinnamon sugar in lieu of flour can make a tasty sweet puff pastry recipe. A floured rolling pin would avoid your puff pastry from being sticky.
We are a coffee-drinking nation and every form of the beverage – decaf, regular, expresso, latte, cappuccino, macchiato and ristretto is consumed everyday by millions of us. It’s the first thing we need in the morning and the last (for some) after dessert. Black, with cream, with sugar, no sugar, flavored, each of us has a preference with regard to strength. Nespresso’s taken heed of this and given us a gift in a pod with the Nespresso capsules. Available in the regular Arabica and Robusta capsules, they have some amazing seasonal flavors as well.
Nespresso capsules are hermetically sealed in a capsule that holds 5-7 gms of coffee – enough for one serving of coffee. They offer five ranges in Ristretto (25ml), Espresso (40 ml), Lungo (110 ml), Decaffeinated (40 ml and 110 ml) or Flavored (40 ml).
The variations in Nespresso coffee capsules Ristretto range are:
Ristretto Origin – Made from South and Central American Arabicas, it has toasted flavors with cocoa notes and woody undertones.
Ristretto Origin India – A blend of the finest Arabicas with a smidgen of Robusta from Southern India, this full-bodied coffee has hints of spices.
Ristretto Intenso – A strong blend of South and Central American Robustas and Arabicas, the Ristretto Intenso is a full-bodied coffee with a creamy texture and peppery notes.
The variations in Nespresso coffee capsules Espresso range are:
Espresso Origin Brazil: A pure Arabica coffee, it has a mild sweet flavor.
Espresso Leggero: A blend of South American Arabicas and Robusta, it has smooth notes of cocoa and cereal.
Espresso Forte: Exclusively made from South and Central American Arabicas, it has an intensely roasted balance of espresso and fruity notes.
The variations of Nespresso coffee capsules Lungo range are:
Lungo Leggero: Lightly roasted East African, South and Central American Arabicas, with mild notes of jasmine is what makes up this delicious brew.
Lungo Forte: A complex mix of South and Central American Arabicas, this coffee has heavy roasted notes with a slight hint of fruit.
Lungo Origin Guatemala: A mix of Arabica and washed Gourmet Robusta coffee, Lungo Origin Guatemala is smooth and well balanced with dry and malty cereal notes.
The variations of Nespresso coffee capsules in the Decaffeinated range are:
Espresso Decaffeinato: Dark roasted South American Arabicas with a touch of Robusta enhances the cocoa flavors and roasted cereal undertones of this decaffeinated espresso.
Lungo Decaffeinato: This is a slightly more complex blend of separately roasted South American and East African Arabicas. It includes toasted cereal and sweet notes with subtle and floral hints of East African Arabicas.
The variations of Nespresso coffee capsules Flavored range are:
Espresso Vanilla: This silky-flavored coffee is the result of a base of Espresso Forte, which is a complex and heavily-roasted blend of South and Central American Arabicas and a slightly caramelized aroma of vanilla. Espresso Caramel: On a base of Espresso Forte, this complex and intensely roasted blend made from South and Central American Arabicas has the sweetness of caramel.
Here are a few easy and healthy recipe ideas that are both quick to make and light to digest on hot summer days. With very few ingredients, the preparation of these recipes is a breeze. So go on, enjoy these easy, healthy recipes that are brimming with nutrition and taste heavenly too!
Greek Cucumber Rolls
Ingredients (Serves 2)
Directions
This is popular among easy and healthy recipes. Slice cucumber into thin flat strips using a vegetable peeler and arrange them in slices of two on a clean tray. Smear the hummus on top of each slice, then toss some feta cheese, black olives and cut tomatoes on each of the cucumber strips. Squeeze a little lemon juice and sprinkle some finely chopped dill and cilantro. Finally, roll the strips, serve the Greek cucumber rolls and see them being gobbled up by the young and old alike!
Flavorful fettuccine pasta with vegetables
Ingredients (Serves 2)
Directions
Cook the fettuccine pasta according to the directions on the label. In a thick bottomed pan, heat the olive oil and sauté the chopped garlic and shallots. After about a minute or so, add the other vegetables along with salt and toss them gently for a few minutes. The vegetables must cook and be crunchy at the same time. When they are done, add the cooked pasta, Parmesan cheese, and some freshly ground black pepper to it and mix well. Serve this flavorful fettuccine pasta with vegetables for lunch or dinner as a filling, yet light meal.
Sunshine juice
Ingredients (Serves 2)
Direction
Squeeze juice from the oranges and blend the strawberries in a juicer. Then in a pitcher, take the orange juice, strawberry juice, and chilled water together and mix well. Refresh yourself with this yummy sunshine juice with ice cubes on a hot day.